Positive rainfall outlook to boost agriculture

PHILLEPUS UUSIKUThe agriculture forestry and fishing sector was one of the few sectors that drove the economy in 2020, registering growth of 5.9%, compared to a contraction of 3.2% in 2019.The positive performance for the sector emanated from the crop farming and forestry subsector which posted a growth of 76.5%, while the livestock subsector posted a decline of 10.2% in 2020, the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) pointed out.According to the Agricultural Bank of Namibia (Agribank), given the positive rainfall outlook for 2021/22, economic activities such as agriculture production which depends on water supply will be boosted. The livestock subsector which posted negative growth in 2020 is also expected to recover and contribute significantly to the sector.“We expect improvement in pasture conditions for livestock and reduced pressure on irrigated and dryland crop production which ultimately strengthen production output and farmers cashflow positions,” Agribank said.Between January to July 2021, Agribank observed a gradual uptick in the number of cattle marketed, with an average monthly growth of 13%. Despite the monthly increase, the number of cattle marketed declined by 21% Year-to-date (YTD) when compared to the same period last year. “YTD, we observed a slowdown in both the slaughtered and live export of cattle by 24% and 15% to 50 067 and 71 701,” Agibank pointed out.VolumesSimilarly, the sheep volumes marketed declined by 1% YTD compared to the prior year. Live export of sheep recorded an increase of 20% while slaughter numbers declined by 37% YTD. The continues decline in cattle numbers when compared to last year could have a bearing impact on the overall performance of the livestock and agriculture sector, Agribank added.Despite the slowdown in the overall number of cattle slaughtered, it’s worth noting that the Katima Mulilo abattoir has observed increase in slaughtered numbers since June 2021. The pursuit for new markets (Congo and Ghana) for the northern communal area (NCA) beef is a step in the right direction to increase access to formal market and promote sustainable livestock farming by the NCA farmers, Agribank pointed out.The production forecast for August 2021 from the Namibian Agronomic Board (NAB) points to supply surplus of certain horticulture products. Better harvest can be associated with a conducive production environment in 2021. Due to the surplus in butternut, cabbage, onions, pumpkins and potatoes in August, the NAB closed the borders to restrict the importation of these products. This grants local producers with increased access to formal markets which should encourage optimal production and scaling up of investment going forward. To this end, it cannot be overstated that the crop sector has the potential to support recovery of the agriculture sector to its long-term growth path and contributing to sustainable job creation and poverty reduction, Agribank said.

Positive rainfall outlook to boost agriculture

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Republikein 2025-11-05

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Positive rainfall outlook to boost agriculture

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